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Could she adore him anymore? She didn’t think she could, but she was sure it was possible. She ached for him just as much as he did her and since he didn’t seem comfortable in making love, shed take any touching and affection he’d give her. What could she say? She was a horny preggo lady with a husband that was too gorgeous for his own good. She shivered when his hand went across her breast and she bit her bottom lip, a slow breath leaving her lips. “A wonderful wake up” She murmured, then smiled “Mother will love your cooking. Do not worry”

She let him help her sit up, running her hands down his chest afterwards and trying to snuggle and be cozy at least for a few moments before going downstairs to eat. However she finally realized he was saying guest, and only mentioning going out with her mother. Also he was relaxed and happy…which certainly meant Celebron was not back yet. She frowned and leaned back from him “Celebron hasn’t returned?” That was…very peculiar, very very peculiar. Sure he was mad, but to be gone all this time? Not like him at all. She pursed her lips and her brow furrowed “That is very strange”

It had been months since Andre had felt like he could fully control himself, but the longer he had the excess energy in him the more he felt he could control it. He imagined that this was what newly made wolves must have felt like, rather than wolves who were born. It would have been awful to be transformed rather than born. Still, he felt he was gaining control and wanted to test his limits with his wife… but they had a guest. Only one guest, in fact, but Addie had to go and bring up Celebron. Andre shrugged nonchalantly. “He isn’t missed.” If only he knew the trouble that had gone down in the woods almost a mile away. The scent of the enemy pack had lingered, but he assumed it was from the days prior when they had nearly attacked Addie.

He followed her down stairs, copping a feel from behind then chuckling lowly before he behaved himself in front of Indris. “I hope you’re hungry, Indris. I made enough to feed an army.” But it wasn’t like he couldn’t shovel it down himself. Instead of grabbing the food and bringing it in he brought the plates and silverware outside, and began making plates for both Addie and Indris. They may not have had ‘help’, but Andre didn’t mind catering to his feminine guests and wife.

Just like Indris, they both hated Celebron but it was ingrained in them to care about him. He was the village leader, there King, and they couldn’t help but to feel worried with his absence so long. “It’s just…been such a long time for him to be gone….” She pursed her lips and worried. She didn’t think anything had happened to Celebron but, she did worry if they didn’t go look for him, when he finally did come back he would be fifty times more furious then he would be just because of what happened before. “If he isn’t back after diner, we need to go find him” For all she knew Celebron was doing this on purpose so he could be found and the attention placed back on him but, she still knew they had to look for him, even if Andre preferred him gone.

She squealed when he teased her going downstairs, glancing back at him and glared playfully. When they got to the base of the stairs she returned the favor, but then realized her mother was sitting outside waiting for them and quickly remembered to behave. Adella greeted her mother warmly and sat down with her. Indris smiled and touched her stomach, the two women chatting idly before Adella looked to Andre and thanked him as he made their plates “Did you two spent time together?” She didn’t know how long they spent one on one while she slept. Indris nodded warmly “We did. We had a nice chat. Your husband is a wonderful man” She told her and Adella beamed, happy to see her mother had warmed up to him. She looked back to Andre happily “He is”

Go find him?! What was she thinking? Andre groaned a long, dramatic sound as he followed his beautiful wife down the stairs. "No. You won't be goin' out to find anybody. I'll go look for him tonight. You just gotta relax with your Momma while you still can." His grumpiness was easily soothed by hr teasing, but it only directed his energy elsewhere and for a few minutes he wished Indris wasn't there.

The wolf continued making the women's plates, filling up Indris' with mostly grilled vegetables and applesauce, and a little bit of meat. If he gave her too much it would give her the shits just as it had Addie. The memory made him chuckle as h handed the girls their platees then went back to make his own. "So you think you will move to Louisiana with us now, Indris? Its a great place to live." Even as they sat around on the porch the evening was hot as it darkened, and the toads and frogs chirped and sang in the swamp out back. "It's a good place to raise a family." He said and glanced at Addie, winking at her playfully right before digging in to his overstuffed plate.

She gave him a look and frowned when he groaned. She knew he hated the man, she wasn’t fond of him either, but she felt obligated to him no matter how horrible he was. She smiled though and gave him a kiss when he agreed to find Celebron later. Of course knowing Andre, his version of “find” was probably to go stand on the porch, look around then say Celebron couldn’t be found…but at least it was something, she supposed. She was happy though for them to spend time together, just the three of them. It felt like a true family, something she had always wanted to feel.

Indris looked at the food and smiled, taking in a breath ”It looks delicious” And she meant it, she was excited to try his cooking, she had never had a man cook for her before. Addie frowned a bit when he mentioned Indris moving in with them, saddened that she knew it couldn’t really happy. Indris merely smiled however “It is very nice here” She commented as she used a form to delicately pick up the food on her plate and begin eating. Addie made a face, her nose crinkled “It is too hot and muggy. I do not like it. I cannot wait till we go back home. You would like it there better” She insisted. Indris smiled more, amused to see Andre was right, Addie really didn’t like it here after all.

Of course Andre didn’t plan on looking too hard for the lost king. He didn’t give a damn if he didn’t come back, but he did worry that Addie and Indris would feel guilty if the man didn’t show up. What if Indris went home without him and he came back with a vengeance, only this time where would be no Addie to protect her. He supposed he could go into the woods and look for him, but he wanted to enjoy another bottle of beer and some more dinner first.

Out on the patio Andre kicked his feet up, placing his plate on his lap as he ate like a lazy male lion. He sipped his beer and watched Adella and Indris chat, then scowled playfully at Adella. “It’s not so bad. I enjoy the heat. You only don’t like it because you’re pregnant.” The heat was harder on pregnant women… right? He gestured to her belly and smiled, leaning across to touch her stomach before he went back to his food. “Is she being still now? Your mamma said she was giving you trouble while I was gone.” For the rest of the dinner andre continued to make idle, relaxed conversation. All the while the sun went down and the swamp became alive with a choir of creatures, calming the nerves of the old alpha just as thoroughly as his second bottle of beer did.

Adella gave him a scowl right back “I don’t like it because I don’t like it. Has nothing to do with being pregnant. its gross here” Indris watched them argue with amusement, to see a couple arguing about something but not really arguing was rather new to her. Indris would never dream of ever not agreeing with something Celebron liked, but Adella was so comfortable saying no to her husband and he didn’t even scold her for it. The scowl on Adella’s face though turned into a smile when he touched her belly but she playfully slapped his hand away “The baby doesn’t like it here either. She prefers back home” She said with teasing certainty and Indris chuckled “It is not so bad here” She decided to at least defend Andre a little bit, poor man. It seemed here in America it was opposite in the village in France, it was the man that wasn’t allowed to have opinion.

Addie sighed and made a face “She kicked up a storm all afternoon. I swear she was playing some sort of sport in there” She put a hand on her stomach and ran her hand up and down slowly “But now she’s quiet as can be”. Indris smiled that knowing smile again and looked between them “She misses her father. It’s her way of asking for him” She said and Adella smiled, seeming to believe Indris’s theory more than Andre had “Of course she misses him, that is because he is the best father in the world” She looked at Andre warmly and Indris brightened more. This special time together meant everything to her, to be able to feel like a family and know at least with Adella and Andre, everything was alright in their relationship and they were happy and at least for a little while, she could be apart of it.

It seemed that Andre couldn’t win. He growled playfully at Addie and scrunched his nose, rolled his eyes, then went back to eating his dinner. The wolf was starving after such a long night and day. He chimed in here and there, “She likes the heat because I like the heat.” but mostly went back to eating.

Once he was finished he leaned back in his chair and drank his beer, stretching his long legs under the table and crossing them with a lackadaisical attitude. He smiled at her when she said he was the best father, but an unnerved feeling still settled in his stomach at that phrase. Any father had a fear that his child wouldn’t like him, didn’t they? He reached for his beer again only to realize it was empty and he sighed, standing up and grabbing his now empty plate. “Ya done?” He questioned Addie and waited for a ‘yes’ before taking her plate, then doing the same to Indris. He took their dishes inside and dumped them in the sink before heading back outside and rolling his shoulders.

“I suppose it’s time I go look for the fool. ” Though by the sound of his voice he was obviously not happy about it. “I’ll be back later, my love.” The wolf leaned in and kissed the top of Addie’s head, and nodded to Indris. Then turned and headed off the porch, unbuttoning and removing his shirt as he walked off towards the forest.

She nodded when he asked about her plate and Indris did as well, staring surprised when he took the plates himself. The man cooked and cleaned up? Goodness! America was so different! Or was it just Andre that behaved so bizarrely? She had never seen such a role reversal. “It was wonderful, Andre” Indris commented, for she truly had enjoyed the dinner. It had been different than anything she had ever eaten, but still good. When he mentioned a fool Indris looked confused for a few moments, but seeing the expression on her daughter’s face she realized who he was speaking of “Celebron? You are going to search for him?” She was surprised, she would think that was the last thing he would do, but judging by his behavior it seemed Adella had forced him.

She gave Andre a smile that told him thank you, then watched him leave. Neither women were excited to have Celebron return but, they knew it was the only right thing to do. While he was gone both women spent what they assumed were there last few hours together. Adella helped her mother pack her things and Celebron’s, for they both expected he’d want to leave immediately when Andre returned. After they were done with that they sat together and chatted, mainly about motherhood and what Adella’s fears and expectations were. All the while the baby kicked and kicked and all Indris could do was laugh, knowing she was right about the baby demanding Andre’s presence.

The man barely reached the woods before he shifted into his dark, domineering wolf form. The animal shook it’s coat out, then stretched it’s legs. It seemed no matter how often he shifted the wolf within him still couldn’t get enough. He leaned his head back and howled a low, sad tune before taking off into the forest. What he found there left him shocked and speechless. The scent of the neighboring pack was littered in his territory, but only near the outskirt of the furthest reach of Louvel’s forest. There were tracks, and blood, and flesh… and a sick, familiar scent.

Death lingered in the trees. It was not the death of the wolf who turned on Adella, but death of a fae. Death of a king. Andre found Celebron scattered, mangled, and lifeless.

It took the wolf at least an hour to get home. How would he tell Adella? Would she jump for joy, or would she break down? What about Indris? He paced as he walked, stopping to howl a low, sober song as he moved. If Addie’s wolf had still been within her she would know something was wrong.

When he finally reached home he pulled on his pants but didn’t bother with his shoes or shirt. He went inside, dragging his feet as he did so and he motioned to Addie.

“I need to talk to you, Adella.” The look on his face was more sober and stoic than he had been in weeks. Pushing the porch door open he waited on the wood deck and crossed his arms over his chest, breathing slowly.

Both women were sitting in the living room having a last minute chat about babies and life, when they heard the door open. Their hearts both dropped, feeling that there time together was now over, and they both turned to look and expected to see a very ticked off Andre and Celebron come over to them. When Adella saw his expression she frowned and sat up more “What’s wrong?” She knew something was wrong before he even said he needed to talk to her alone. Indris’s brow furrowed and she glanced around “Where is Celebron?” She asked, wondering what was going on. Where was the King? Why did Andre look the way he did? Something had happened, she knew that, but what?

Addie got up off the couch with help from her mother than followed Andre outside on the porch. Once she was outside with him and closed the door she grew close to him and searched his face curiously “What’s wrong? Where is he? Did he leave?”

It had been a long time since Andre had to give anyone bad news (but the devil on his shoulder asked him if it was truly bad news at all). He ignored Indris’ question and remained silent until they were out on the porch. The wolf paced, then stopped and put his hands on Addie’s shoulders.

“Do you remember those wolves that were here? The one that tried to go after you?” He ran one hand over his beard, scratching as a nervous tick and he cleared his throat. “Their scent was all over the edge of the woods, and I found Celebron… He’s dead, Addie. He’s dead.” Andre Louvel was not a malicious man, and even though he hated Celebron he was not jumping for joy to see him go. There was still worry in his eyes, worry that Indris would be heart broken or that Addie would feel any sort of pain. He swallowed hard after dropping the bomb of information on her, and reached down to take her hands.

She did not expect the words that came from him. Celebron was dead….he was dead and she sjust couldn’t believe it. She saw Celebron as this destructive and brutal force that couldn’t be killed or brought down, and that he would live on forever and haunt her life for as long as she lived. Even though he was merely a single Fae man, he had been powerful none the less when it came to combat and she just never imagined anyone could kill him, especially not a werewolf after he had killed her true father. But from what she understood he had been ambushed by several, and no weapon to defend himself and now…he was dead.

At first, she wasn’t sure how to react. Was she to be sad? Happy? Remorseful? Guilty? Quite frankly she didn’t feel anything at first expect shock from the unexpected news and she slowly sat down on the porch as she tried to digest the information. Celebron was dead. He was gone…was that good or bad? She just didn’t know. To her good perhaps, but the village had known him as their leader for so long…who would even replace him? Should she even care? What would happen to her mother? What would she do when she heard the news? She looked at Andre with lost eyes and frowned “I…do not know what to feel” She said slowly “I want to feel happiness, but…that would be wrong. But I can also not feel sadness for it either”

Was it really wrong to feel happiness in the death of a man who had tormented her? Andre crossed his arms and took a few steps along the deck. His feet dragged along the wood as he walked, tired though running on adrenaline from the sheer scent of death. “I can’t tell you what to feel, cheri, but you know I won’t judge you for your emotions.” He would still love her even if she jumped for joy.

The wolf glanced inside at Indris, then back to Addie as he ran a hand over his chest. “How are we gonna tell her? Do you want me to help?” What was going to happen? Where would she go? Who would she talk to? “If she asks to see the body tell her no. It’s a mess, ain’t nobody should have to see that sight. Especially no woman.” It was hard enough for a man to view it, but women were so much more fragile. He hated even telling Addie that but he assumed Indris would ask. What did faeries do in the time of death? “Will there be a funeral?”

She just sat there, not knowing what to do or how to properly react. Celebron was dead…now what? She never thought he’d die, so what…what was she supposed to do? What would happen? Would they be blamed for his death? Would anyone in the village care or would they be heartbroken and furious? She looked at him a bit dumbly for a moment as if she didn’t understand what he was talking about, than glanced back towards the house and realized slowly in her shock he meant telling her mother. She shook her head but it took a few minutes for her to actually back the action up with words “No I’ll…I’ll, I’ll tell her myself.” She wasn’t sure what her mother’s reaction would be, she just hoped she didn’t blame Andre for some bizarre reason.

She held out a hand for Andre to help her back up to stand then sighed and shook her head, staring downwards “I cannot believe he is dead” Was all she said, no remorse and no happiness, just merely surprise. She didn’t think she would feel anything else but that, just surprise, she couldn’t muster any other sort of emotion. She frowned and looked up to Andre “Perhaps a funeral will be done for him back home…but it will be different with no body….” She then turned towards the house “I’ll go tell her…”

Seeing Adella so speechless left Andre with guilt deep in his gut. Why had the pack gone after Celebron? Surely they couldn’t be so stupid to think he was associated with Louvel and go after him for spite of killing one of their wolves. The wolf that had died deserved it, he had gone after another wolf’s mate. It was an unspoken pack law that mates were untouchable. You would end up with a heartbroken lycan after you, thirsty for revenge of it’s lost mate. The wolf that died had deserved it, and Andre was comfortable with that judgment. The loss of Celebron left him baffled, not sad, just baffled and he ran over the thoughts as he helped Addie up.

The wolf opened the door for Adella, as he often did, but kept his head down. His mind was lost in thought as he gave her a head start then followed her in. Instead of traipsing after her he went to the kitchen to stay out of the way, but was still close enough if there were more questions. As polite as he tried to be he couldn’t help but look at Indris with morbid curiosity as to how she would react to the news of her husband’s death.